and I think a U-2 made that journey also





"fudog50" wrote in message
...
Not to be picky but,,,,

The Herc did all the big deck tests on the Forestall (not Kitty Kawk
Class).

I was a C-130 plane captain back in the early 80's and a flight
engineer gave me a book, "Herk: Hero of the Skies". The book talks
about all the testing on the Forestall.

It was a success.....but....well read the book.

Thanks.




On 23 Feb 2007 16:27:59 -0800, "Mike Weeks" wrote:

On Feb 21, 10:16?am, "W. D. Allen" wrote:
Just finished Jim Armstrong's book, "From POW to Blue Angel", about
Commander Dusty Rhodes, who introduced the Blue Angels to jets.
Interesting
book, especially for old naval aviators.

But, here's a question for tail hookers of half a century ago. On page
282
Armstrong writes, "...a Twin Beech landed [on the USS Philippine Sea
returning to CONUS from Korea in early 1951] with a welcome COD
load...."
I'm guessing he is referring to an SNB. Does anyone know if SNBs were
ever
used for COD deliveries on carriers in the early 1950s? If so, were they
reinforced for tailhook landings? I know a C-130 has been landed on a
Kitty
Hawk class carrier, but doubt an SNB could be make sturdy enough to do
the
same.

Looking forward to some answers from those who know.

As written the passage brings up even more questions:

CV-47 PS didn't return to the US "in early 1951". Early in '51 she
operating off Korea, first w/ CVG-11, then in late March swapped -11
for CVG-2, and she doesn't get back to the WC until June 1951.

If the time period should simply be, say, mid-'51 there's still the
question of a straight deck and those air group birds sitting forward,
even behind the barrier. Even if a good number planes were off-loaded
as Atsugi for use by an incoming CVG, there still would have been the
loading of others to be returned to the states. Going to put a non-
hook bird down on a deck w/ no exit point?

And where would the event have taken place -- off Hawaii, off Guam?
According the Bob Cressman article in the Fall '88 issue of _The
Hook_, in a history of the P.S., she made a bee-line straight to
Alameda, beating the transit record of Boxer (CV-21) from 1950 by 5
1/2 hours.

I haven't seen the book yet, but looking forward to at least looking a
copy over. In addition I'm going to check if there's a copy of a PS
1950-51 cruise book in the THA library next week.

MW